An Emergency! Thanksgiving
by StarMirror17077
Summary: It's Thanksgiving time and Natalie Brisk returns. Let us see how John Gage reacts when seeing her all over again, maybe he can get to know this mysterious woman more and sees where it goes for him.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's Thanksgiving for all of you guys.**

* * *

 **Friday Morning**

"Natalie Brisk, are you day dreaming about that fireman again?" Ms. Montana asked the younger woman.

Pushing her blond hair behind her ear Natalie smiled. She did not have to look at the old woman to know that her friend had already known what she was thinking about again.

Just thinking of that Halloween night when Natalie tried rescuing that cat was enough for her to blush. It was the kind of blush she could feel all the way to her toes. It was the kind of blush that had Natalie wondering what it would have been like to have just said her thank yous to the nice firefighter John Gage.

"What good would it have been if you had just stopped by that fire fighter's station just to say thank you to the poor boy?" Ms. Montana asked as she poured some white powdered herb into the mixing bowl. "It's not like you didn't know where he worked."

For an answer, Natalie stayed quiet. A sure sign she had not wanted to talk about that particular conversation.

"Is this too much cane sugar, you think?" Ms. Montana changed the subject.

It was not that their baking was anything nasty. They were baking cookies.

"I don't think it's too much sugar." Natalie said once she had tasted the batter. "What are you making this time?"

"Thanksgiving cookies for the soup kitchen. What are you doing for this autumn festival? What are you thankful for, Natalie?"

Taking some of the basil and bay leaves off the window sill potter, Natalie again could not contain the smile and the memories of the time when her life had been hanging on a limb, quite literally actually.

"I am thankful for John Gage the firefighter. I am thankful that I am here and that I am alive." She sighed and again she smiled.

Ms. Montana smiled at the young woman but she did not say anything about it.

"One of the things that I have to talk about in the class is about the history of Thanksgiving." Natalie spoke. "Thanksgiving history is so hard to follow if someone does not know what to look for."

The older woman made a sound as if she was thinking. While she mixed the bowl of dough on the counter in front of the other large window, behind them a sleek black cat jumped up onto the kitchen table. It meowed, me-uffed and then settled for a sneeze. The sneeze alone kicked up some loose flour that was sprinkled on the table top from the rolls that Natalie had made earlier.

"Shoo, shoo, get off that table you naughty cat." Ms. Montana waved a spoon slathered in batter at the cat.

After much deliberation the cat got off the table and wondered over to the little flip door that went out to the back deck of the old house.

"That cat causes more trouble than I care to know. Recently it was you and that tree, those birds have not been back since he tried sleeping in their nest last spring and he chased the mailman, can you believe that?"

"There are many things that are unbelievable in this world that no one can understand but it is there." Natalie said.

"Such as love. Like you have for that nice young fireman."

"I am not in love with John Gage the fireman." She twirled around to look at her dear and close friend. "I can't be. Can I?"

"I don't know. But it does seem like the magic in romance is what you have right now."

"If it is meant to be with me and John Gage then it would have happened. Right?"

"The universe takes time to move, it's an awfully big place. Just like Los Angeles County is."

Glancing up at the clock, the old Coo-Coo clock, the one with a raven that popped in and out of it, Natalie sighed. "Great, I am going to be late for class. All because I was thinking of a fireman."

"You are usually so careful about getting there on time. I'm sure your class will understand. See, I told you. It's that boy, John Gage, he is the one."

Taking off her apron and dropping it on the counter next to the mixing bowl she was working with, Natalie turned around.

"Your home is so magical, Ms. Montana." Natalie said looking at her friend. "I wish my home was just the same as yours."

"It will be in due time. You have many years to master it just like I have with mine. Maybe then you will have a certain fireman wooing you with treats and candy and flowers."

"I can only hope so, Ms. Montana." Picking up her purse from the stand in the doorway of the kitchen next to the violets in the vase, Natalie waved at her friend and hurried out the front door.

Her cherry red jeep was sitting out there in the driveway, behind the closed iron gates waiting for her to drive off back towards civilization. That was okay though, it gave her enough time to think about what she was going to say to the class.

* * *

A twenty minute drive further into LA County and Natalie was in the parking lot of the Douglas MacArthur school. She barely got into the classroom when the bell rang.

"Whew." She swiped at the spot of sweat that was sliding down the bridge of her nose. "Safe!"

"Ms. Natalie, you made it." A little girl said from the middle row of the classroom.

"Of course I made it. Do you really think I would miss today? Now, let me catch my breath and then we can start our lessons for today."

"Ms. Natalie," a young auburn hair girl raised her hand as the woman got to her desk. "My Uncle won't be spending Thanksgiving with us this year."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that, Emily." She said taking out her papers and putting one stack on the corner of her desk. "Does he have to work?"

"Yes, ma'am. He's a paramedic. He helps people."

"That's nice. People must really be thankful that he helps them." Natalie smiled. "And on that note, let start with History today, with it being so close to Thanksgiving."

Emily DeSoto raised her hand again. Two years prior, the DeSoto son named Christopher had been in Natalie's class. They both had round faces and the same smiles, even all the way to the same teeth, slightly big. Having only met Mrs. DeSoto, not Mr. DeSoto, she could only guess that the kids got most of their looks from their father.

"Yes, Emily."

"Uncle Johnny doesn't like Thanksgiving."

Puffing out some air that blew away a string of her hair from her eyes Natalie thought about it. "Your Uncle Johnny, is he Native American?"

"He's a Indian." The girl said.

Natalie shook her head. "Indians are from India, Native Americans are the Indians Columbus met when he founded the Americas. Why do you think your Uncle Johnny doesn't like Thanksgiving?"

"Because it, uh, it, it's bad." Emily looked down at her hands, fingers linked and her blue eyes looking down.

The other kids in the class all took a simultaneous intake of air. Natalie knew that she would have to talk about this hard subject and have to explain that not all cultures got along during the early history of America.

"He says the Pilgrims hurt the Indians after the first feast. I heard him and Uncle Chet talking about it when I went to see Daddy at the Station."

Natalie bit her lip, closing her eyes in an attempt to block out other stimulations around her.

"Well, I suppose he is right abut it, about the Pilgrims not being nice to the Native Americans. But that Thanksgiving was a long time ago, and times change, so do people. So tell me, class, what do you think a real Thanksgiving is about?"

After that, the History of Thanksgiving was forgotten and Natalie was given the run down of what Thanksgiving meant to each of her students. From food to family, they all relived their favorite times.

"What are you going to do for Thanksgiving, Ms. Brisk?" One of the boys asked.

That was a hard question. "My family lives far up in the mountains and there really isn't enough time for me to go up there and be with them. I usually spend Thanksgiving by myself or with a soup kitchen that a dear friend of mine works for." Glancing at the clock there were three minutes until the next subject. "All right class, let's get ready for your mathematics lesson early."

The response was a groan from every child in the room.

* * *

 **A/N: Well this is a start. Tell me what you think. And have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.**


	2. Chapter 2

It was the end of the day and Natalie just wanted to get on home. The class had asked her so many questions about what her family did for Thanksgiving that it was hard to come up with some of the answers she did manage to give.

"Not again," Natalie mumbled herself as she unlocked her front door to her small bungalow house. The neighbors were at it again. She could hear their voices raised inside their house. She was sure that the Diego house could hear the Noble couple five doors down.

"It's Thanksgiving in a few days, you would think they would get along for their daughter's sake." Natalie sai as she opened her door.

"Meow!" Callie, the calico cat that claimed Natalie some time back, came running up to her. "Meow!" And she began circling Natalie's ankles.

"You have no idea how much trouble you're causing me right now."

She dropped her bag down on the white couch and headed for her kitchen. The plants and herb garden was doing a little better this morning. Callie followed her into the kitchen, hopping up on the counter next to the sink where Natalie turned it on to a trickle.

"Why don't you drink out of a bowl like a normal cat?" Natalie asked knowing that she would never get an answer.

After making a pot of coffee, letting it simmer she walked outside where there was a garden of all gardens waiting for her. A light wind blew the moment she walked out on her back porch. The smell of the sweet flowers was the strongest, they grew in sectors and in places amongst the corn stalks and near some pumpkins she still had growing.

The kids in the neighborhood all had one this last Halloween. They all wanted pumpkins and since she never charged for the kids to have a pumpkin, all anyone had to ask was if they could have one. Just having what was called the community garden was indearing to Natalie because it meant she could get to know everyone around her. It also meant she could help people in the simplest way, having the food some of them would need.

Standing in the middle of the backyard, enjoying the cool autumn breeze and the occasional clouds casting shadows, Natalie smiled at the garden in front of her. "You look good today, babies."

They waved at her as she came closer. The vibrant autumn colors were red and orange even some brown colors from some of those that had come to the end of their cycle.

"It's okay to go." She coaxed them, looking at the wilted flowers that were on their way out.

It had to be the yelling, what other reason could there be for some of the plants were not doing as well as the others. The corn were strong and hardy, but it was the more emotional plants that were having a hard time with being close to the short white fence that separated Natalie's backyard from the Noble's backyard.

"Hi, Ms. Natalie." A little voice called out.

Peering over the white fence, Natalie saw a stack of red wood that the Nobles were using to make a deck around their swimming pools. Or at least they had been before the fighting started. Jessica Noble, Little Jessie, was standing on top of the stack of wood that was near the middle of the yard.

"Jessie, please be careful, sweetheart." Natalie stood up to look at her.

But that did not happen. The entire stack of wood teetered, and it was like slow motion as the little girl fell with the wood pile.

* * *

Station 51

"So, tell me, Gage, why do you have an issue with Thanksgiving?" Fireman Chet Kelly asked looking at his fellow firefighter.

Firefighter and paramedic John Gage, the only Native American with Station 51 did not say anything at first. Of course that was because he was busy with getting personal with the station toilet. John did hate having latrine duty, which meant cleaning the toilet. Chet was the one cleaning the floor, he had the mop. John, for lack of enthusiam, was in the dumps.

"John, are you even listening?" Chet asked walking up to the urinals.

"Chet, not now. I'm trying to think happy thoughts right while I'm scrubbing."

"What sort of happy thoughts? That blond woman from Halloween, the one you'll never see again?" Leaning on the mop, Chet continued watching his friend and coworker.

John did not want to give into Chet's goading. No, he was a better man than that.

"Because, don't you think you could have just gone to see her in the hospital?"

"I did." John dropped the scrub brush into the bucket next to him. "I did look for her but she had been released. I was too late to check up on her."

In the tone John used, Chet did not say anything. John was thankful for that, probably the only thing he had been thankful of since getting in to work that day.

"So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Chet asked.

Spoke too soon, John thought bitterly as a wave of bile crept up the back of his throat.

With the urinals all cleaned and the toilets all brushed down, it was going to be the shower stall next.

"Hey, I'll do that." Chet stopped John. "You know just to be helpful."

John's brown eyes squinted at the mustached firefighter. This could have been a prank that The Phantom was playing with him. No, not possible. Nothing wet had hit John in the face recently, sure he was thankful for that. But there was something else that was wrong, it was the whole Thanksgiving holiday.

"Thanks, Chet." Putting the bucket and scrub brush down next to the shower stall.

"No problem, Pally."

Opening his mouth to say something smart in return, but then the station sirens went off.

"Squad 51, child injured. 3223 Bloomington Ave. 3223 Bloomington Ave, cross street Athena Street." The dispatcher informed.

John headed out into the garage where the Squad was parked next to the large fire engine. John's partner Roy DeSoto was already in the driver's seat while Captain Stanley was handing over the information slip to the accident sight.

"So, are you finished yet?" Roy asked as they pulled out into the street.

"Finished?"

"With latrine duty."

John rolled his eyes. "Chet said he would take care of the shower for me, since I did everything else and all he had was the floor."

These weekly cleaning sessions were good for moral, or at least that's what the top brass said. Plus it was their shift's turn for this weekly clean spree.

In the mean time, they still had a job to do and with this being a kid, well every other thing was off the table at that time.

"Hey, watch it!" John yelled as a car ran through a red light, crossing in front of them.

The last thing they didn't want was them getting in a car crash on the way to a scene. But luckily they did come out of it alive with a few rattled nerves and hyper senses for traffic around them. Some time later the two paramedics were able to find the cross street of Athena Street and Bloomington Avenue, in a low middle class neighborhood.

But it was the last woman on earth that John had expected to see standing on the side walk waving them down. At first John thought it was an illusion, but it really was her when he got out of the Squad with Roy.

"Natalie?" He asked, tilting his fireman's helmet back to look down at the blond woman. "What are you doing here?"

She made no notice of him, turning her attention to Roy. "It's my neighbor, she fell off a stack of wood. She's not buried but she isn't awake. I think she hit her head on the cement around the pool."

"Where are her parents?" Roy asked as he was reaching into the squad compartment for the drug kit.

Natalie pointed to the small red trimmed house. "They can't hear me because they are having a fight. I called from my house instead. Come on, along back here." She led them to the side of the house where a small gate led into the backyard.

He had to focus on the kid, John told himself as he followed Natalie into the backyard as Roy took up the pace behind him.

There was a good size pool in the back that had water in it. And there was a little girl laying on the cement, a small pool of blood haloing her head.

"Can you go try her parents again?" Roy asked.

"I'll kick down the door if I have to." She responded before pivoting around and brushing by John's shoulder.

He couldn't help but watch her walk on by, it was one of the things that she had that he had not noticed before. She was just an average woman. A little on the short side, a natural blond and a compassion that even he himself did not see a lot of in people as of late.

"John." Roy's sharp voice said making him look at his partner that was kneeling next to the girl. "Come on."

In the light of what he had witnessed, seeing Natalie after almost a month, he did have a job to do.

It was going to be difficult focusing on his job while knowing that the mysterious woman was so close now.

* * *

 **A/N: I know tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I have been very busy with other things to try to update this part of the story. It might take some time for me to update because of the family being here. Otherwise I hope you all enjoyed this part of the story. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.**


	3. Chapter 3

Natalie didn't try to knock on the door to the house, she walked in through the back door which led to a kitchen that had the same layout as hers. But this kitchen was in shambles, it was a place that looked like no one had bothered to clean up after last weeks dinner.

No one could bother interrupting the parents. Mr. Noble was not someone anyone wanted to bother with. He still wore his work overalls that were stained with oil as a car mechanic. He was starting to go bald on top. Mrs. Noble was a shorter woman with a bobbed haircut. She was yelling just as loud at her husband as they stood in the middle of a trashed front room yelling at each other.

"HEY!" Natalie yelled, tossing a magazine at the two adults. "Do you even care that your daughter is out back unconscious?"

Both parents looked at the intruding woman, the crazy garden lady from next door.

"How did you get in my house? I thought the doors were locked." Mrs. Noble took two steps towards Natalie.

"You have a daughter don't you? She's out back with the paramedics that I called. Come on." Natalie turned around and headed back in the way that she had come from.

Luckily the Nobles followed her out of the house and when they saw the two paramedics working on their obviously downed daughter, that was when the real fear came in. At least with Mrs. Noble.

"My Baby! What happened? What happened to my baby!" Beyond agitated and edging on to hysterical, Mrs. Noble stopped as Natalie grabbed her arm. "What's wrong with my baby?"

"She fell." Natalie said as John glanced at her. "She fell because she was standing on that pile of wood you were supposed to use as a deck."

Mrs. Noble turned towards her husband. "I told you that I wanted that done. I told you." She tried hitting her husband but Natalie wrapped both of her arms around the distraught woman, to keep her from doing something stupid. "I told you but you never do anything right."

"Me, what about you!" The large man yelled right on back.

Natalie stood between them, pushing them apart. "You both are going to stop and you are going to listen to me now."  
She knew that the voice she used was often implemented on her students. And both adults just stopped yelling and looked at her.

"This is not helping your daughter. What they are going to need is your permission to give her an IV so that she can get the help that she needs." Natalie told the two adults. "You act worse than my students." That part she said under her breathe. "How is she doing, Mr. DeSoto?" She asked.

"Uh, unconscious at the moment but her vitals are relatively good." He glanced at his partner as he was trying to contact Rampart Emergency on their BioPhone.

Natalie knew that she could not interfere in this case, Jessie's life depended on it. She needed her parents to stop and focus on her. Natalie made it her business to keep the girl's parents away from the paramedics.

"Anyone here!" A new voice yelled out.

"Back here, Vince!" Roy DeSoto yelled back.

Natalie saw a cop come around the side of the Nobles' house and he was being followed by a couple of ambulance attendants. Now she could breathe a sigh of relief with help being there to take the girl to the hospital.

"We need to start an IV and get a cervical collar on." John said.

John did the cervical collar and Roy put the IV on Jessie's right arm. Natalie was thankful that the officer came over to talk to the parents, though Mrs. Noble was still distraught over Jessie falling.

"He was supposed to put the deck up but he can never do anything right." She pointed at her husband.

Mr. Noble puffed out his chest and looked at his wife with as much contempt as she was giving him. "Me, you don't clean enough. The house look likes my scrap yard. At least the scrap yard is up to code."

"Enough!" Using her Voice again, Natalie stopped the two of them. "Stop the fighting. Look, Mrs. Noble, they are loading your daughter up on a gurney. You go with your daughter. Mr. Noble and I will clean up the wood." The woman opened her mouth to say something but Natalie held her hand up. "No, do as I say. Go with your daughter. You have enough from her, Mr. Vince?"

"Yeah, for right now. I'll know where to go to ask you any more questions." The cop answered, glancing at the blond woman. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"I've been around, hanging out here and there. Probably so." She lifted one shoulder. "I live next door to the Nobles. I'm a school teacher for LA County Public Schools, Douglas MacArthur Elementary school." Natalie pointed over towards the white fence where her elaborate garden was growing.

She watched the officer take note of that and then caught John standing up slowly with his orange phone case thing and Roy was the one that was heading out to the Squad.

"I'm sorry, I'll be right back." Natalie said before briskly walking after the firefighters.

John was getting in the ambulance with Mrs. Noble and it was Roy was the putting the stuff up in the Squad when Natalie came up to Roy.

"Mr. DeSoto, I just wanted to let you know something." She said.

Looking down at her, Roy spoke up. "About the little girl?"

"About your little girl. I'm her teacher, Ms. Brisk. She's doing very well. I just thought I would like you to know."

"Uh, well, thanks." He smiled. "I really appreciate that." He turned to put the rest of the stuff in the Squad but when he turned around again to say something Natalie wasn't there.

She had disappeared on him.

* * *

John could not stop thinking of her, the woman Natalie.

After he and Roy had left the hospital and were on their way back to their fire station.

"Brackett says the little girl will be okay." Roy said as a way of making a conversation.

But John was not paying attention to anything his partner was saying. His thoughts were on a particular blond haired woman.

The way she talked, the way she carried herself. He had seen her say something to Roy before walking briskly back the way she had came. And like that, he could not see her anymore.

"What did she say to you?" John asked, his attention mainly out the front window.

"Who?"

"Natalie, what did she say to you?"

"She wanted to tell me how well Emily was doing in school."

It took a moment for John to process that little bit of information. "What do you mean how well Emily is doing in school? How would she know your daughter?"

"She's Ms. Brisk, the new teacher that took over Mrs. Winston's class after Halloween. Two years ago."

"And you never told me?"

"How many Brisks do you know out there. I never met Ms. Brisk, only Jo Anne has seen her. She's the same Ms. Brisk that was Christopher's teacher. I didn't put two and two together this last Halloween, not until my kids told me that they saw the rescue."

"And you still did not tell me? Really, Roy. I'm your best friend."

Roy shook his head. "Well now you know. I don't know why I didn't tell you any of this. Maybe you could go see her at school."

"Why would I do that?"

John watched Roy roll his eyes, sigh but kept on driving.

"Roy," John started.

"What?"

"What school does Emily and Chris go to?"

The older of the two again rolled his eyes. "I thought you had to work Thanksgiving."

"I'll think of something. I always do."

Roy that John's plans did not always work out.

* * *

 **Tuesday - - - Next Week**

"Ms. Brisk, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Emily DeSoto asked.

"Spending three quiet days and a weekend at home. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I talked to my Mommy and Daddy about inviting you over for Thanksgiving. That way you can see Chris, my brother."

"I know who your brother is, Emily." Natalie smiled at the young girl.

The rest of the class was getting ready to head home, considering that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were day offs for Thanksgiving. A lot of the kids were talking about the Turkey wreaths that they had made in Art Class with Natalie. But Emily DeSoto was acting a little strange.

"Uncle Johnny is picking me up today." Emily said as she put her composition notebook on top of her math textbook inside her desk.

"I see. What about your brother? I know you go home together on the school bus."

Again the girl fidgeted, not really looking at her teacher. Natalie really knew that something was up, even if it seemed to be a benign thing.

"He's going home with a friend named Carl. Chris is going to spend the night at Carl's house."

"I see."

Walking back to her desk, Natalie sat down and shuffled around the equation packets that the children had all turned in. She needed to do something, something to get her mind off of those brown eyes that belonged to a man she had not anticipated on seeing again. She was thankful that he did not know where she worked.

The bell rang for the end of school.

"Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Be safe and I expect to see your short essays on your Founding Fathers by Monday." She called out to them.

All except for Emily had left the room. Emily stood at her desk, looking at the doorway and then back at Natalie. She fiddled with the hem of her nice yellow dress as if she was nervous about something. Putting her red pencil down, Natalie stood up.

"Emily, why haven't you left yet?"

"I, uh, I told Uncle Johnny he can pick me up here." The little girl said.

Natalie did have that meeting at four to go over Fourth Grade Literature for her class. She was out of books to have the kids read but then again the other fourth grade teachers had their own schedules of things to do.

Just as she was about to say something, the door opened to the class room. Both Natalie and Emily turned to see a tall man stroll into the room wearing jeans and a plaid blue button up shirt that was tucked in his pants. And it was this man that made breathing slightly harder to do for Natalie as she stood staring at him.

"Hi, Uncle Johnny." Emily waved at him.

Uncle Johnny was John Gage, firefighter? How many times did it take for Emily and Chris to describe this Johnny who was Native American to her? How many years had she heard about an Uncle Johnny, even Jo Anne had spoken about him in their parent teacher conferences.

"Hi, Emmy. Hi, Natalie." He said looking over at Natalie as she stayed rooted to in front of her desk. "How are you doing?"

Blinking, that was the only thing she was capable of doing. And there was John, smiling at her as he had a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"I'm, well, I'm a little shocked to be honest."

"Well, how do you think I felt last week on Friday when I saw you? If I remember right you told so many people that you would probably never see me again."

She rubbed the back of her hand, the blush spreading more across her cheeks. "Well, this is LA County. Do you really think that I would ever meet you again?"

"Maybe. You could have just come on by the fire station. It's not like you didn't know where I worked, you had a pretty good view of my helmet."

Natalie couldn't help biting at her lip. He had been right. She did know what station he was from. And yet she still didn't look for him. Even with the recent events going on.

"I thought you would have a girl waiting back at home. I'm not the kind to step where I am not wanted." She quickly thought that up on the spot.

Rubbing her hands on her jeans, she looked away from John. The decorations would have to come down, she thought trying to dislocate herself from the situation. The kids would take them home the coming Monday and they would start with a new batch of lessons.

"I have a meeting to get to soon." She declared then looked at Emily. "Don't forget to do your homework."

"Can you come to Thanksgiving with us? Uncle Johnny will be there. He finally got someone to fill in for him tomorrow."

"I don't know where you live." Natalie glanced at John, who was now smiling like an idiot.

Emily looked up at John and he pulled something out of his back pocket. It was a folded up piece of paper and he held it out to her with his long fingers.

"Here, Roy and Jo Anne are expecting you by two o'clock." He told her.

"And wear something nice, that's the tradition of my family. Grandma is going to be there and she likes things to be perfect."

"Don't I know that." John mumbled. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow, Natalie. Come on, Emmy."

"See you Thanksgiving, Ms. Brisk." Emily waved, grabbed her books and notebooks off her desk and followed John to the door.

John stopped at the door and turned to look at her. That smile was still plastered there on his face and it made her question if this was a good idea. In due time she was going to have to face the fact.

She was going to have to get used to the idea that the what ifs were over, that this was the here and now. John was here and now. The what ifs didn't count anymore.

* * *

 **A/N:** **I hope your Thanksgivings are going to be okay. I may or may not update tonight when I have a chance to. Right now this is all that I can give everyone. I hope you liked it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Later that day- - -**

Getting home was like time had stood still for Natalie. She pulled her beloved jeep into her driveway and turned it off. She had just gotten out of the jeep when she heard yelling again. It was Mrs. Noble and Mr. Noble and there was a woman trying to take Jessica out of house but Mrs. Noble was holding on for dear life.

"Ms. Brisk!" Breaking from her mother's hold, Jessica ran towards her.

Dropping her teacher's briefcase on the ground, Natalie opened her arms and scooped the girl into her arms. Jessica had been released from the hospital and gone back home earlier that morning as Natalie was heading off to school. Jessica looked better now with just some stitches over a slightly discolored bruised bump. Natalie was grateful that there wasn't much in the way of injury to the child but now she was worried about what was going on with her neighbors.

"I'm scared." Jessica said.

"Jessica, get back here. No, you're not taking my baby!" Mrs. Noble made a grab at the woman.

And there was the sound of a siren coming from down the street. Either there was a police cruiser coming or it was the fire department. She hoped it was the former.

"I'm scared." Jessica said again, burying her face in Natalie's midsection.

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart. You're going to be just fine."

There was an obvious fight going on, someone probably had called the police with all the ruccous that the Noble couple were throwing around.

"It's okay." Natalie promised again running her hand over the girl's head.

She watched as a police car came along and pulled up behind a black car that was obviously not from the neighborhood. The woman that was in Mrs. Noble's grasp pulled out of it and started down towards the police that were getting out of their car.

"Officers, I'm with the department of child services. There has been a complaint about the well being of their child." The woman motioned over to where Natalie was standing with her arms still around Jessica. "I have come to check up on the child and deemed the living conditions improper for the child. But they are impeaching my duties."

"I'm her mother, she's our daughter!" Mrs. Noble yelled, tears streaming down her face. "You can't take my baby away from me. It's almost Thanksgiving!"

Mr. Noble stood with his hands opening and closing next to him. There was a chance that he could have blown his top soon any moment. It was a good thing that the police had showed up when they did. That little woman in the black dress could not have protected herself.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Now Mrs. Noble had looked right at Natalie. "You called them. You're trying to break up our family? You're a witch, you know that. You're an absolute horrible witch. You think you can waltz on in and take my baby from me. You're crazy. Are you listening, you're a crazy witch."

The cop actually had to physically stop Mrs. Noble and the other had to stop the husband from doing the same. Natalie stayed perfectly still, her hand still rubbing the top of the girl's head. But the one thing that was not the same was her eyes. Brows furrowed and eyes narrowed, she was as angry as the sharp gust of wind that passed on by, stirring up the birds that were in the tree.

Putting her anger aside, Natalie chose her words with thought and calculation so as not to scare the little girl. "I wish I had called the other day. I wish I had thought what was good for Jessica. But no, no I did not. You want to know why, because I knew this was going to happen. I knew that child services would come here, I knew they would take her and I knew this was going to happen. But what you think is best for her is really what's best for you."

And Natalie meant it, she meant every word.

"What is best for Jessica is a safe home, a place that will give her the love, attention and everything that she needs." Natalie added. "Where she can grow up to be something some day. But how can she do that if the deck wood collapses on her when she's trying to play? How is she going to eat if the dishes aren't done and the house smelling like it was being used as a dumpster? How can she trust anyone when the people she's supposed to trust the most don't even trust each other?"

The struggling mother stopped, nearly going limp in the police officer's hands. It was like she had been punched in the stomach when she realized what the woman had said. The husband was just as confused as his wife, but at least it seemed like Natalie got to him.

"Until you can clean up your home and your marriage, if you are going to divorce or not, then maybe she can have a nice life but that is only when everything here is safe. Right now it is not safe." The woman said coming forward. "Come on, sweetie, we're going for a little ride."

Natalie knelt in front of Jessie, placing her hands on the girl's cheeks. "Listen to me, Sweet Jessie, everything is going to be fine. You are going to be fine, do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"I have a feeling you and me are going to see each other very soon." She smiled and lightly tugged on Jessica's hair. "Just go and be a very good girl."

"Okay, Ms. Natalie."

Natalie stood up and pulled something out of her bag. "I want you to call this number. I'll be home all night waiting your phone call."

"All right." The woman looked at the card and then at Natalie. "Why?"

"I've grown very fond of this girl. I don't want anything to happen to her, not on my watch." She looked at the Nobles then nodded at them, the cops and grabbed her stuff.

After that, Natalie knew she could not leave the house until everything was settled.

* * *

 **Thanksgiving Day- - - 2pm**

"Has she come yet?" John asked walking into the DeSoto kitchen.

Jo Anne was standing at the stove with a wooden spoon in her hand watching the mashed potatoes boiling. Jo Anne's mother was checking on the turkey considering that Roy had been banned from touching any cooking supplies. He was in the adjoining room with Christopher setting up the dining table.

"John, I'm sure she's going to be here." Roy said from the other room. "I bet she had some stuff come up."  
"She's an elementary school teacher, how much something could be coming up?"

"He really likes Ms. Natalie, doesn't he?" Chris asked his father.

"You don't have to live with him." Roy countered.

Roy's mother-in-law, Mary Anne Carter, looked at John. "You know, young man, you could be helping out." She looked him from head to toe.

"He is, Mom. He's keeping Emily out of the kitchen." Jo Anne said, nodding her head for John to leave.

There was a tug on John's hand and he looked down to see Emily smiling at him. "Come on, kiddo, we can play in the front room." John told her. "We can watch for Ms. Natalie together."

"But, Uncle Johnny, I saw her pull up to the curb. She's not alone."

"What?" John couldn't keep the bewilderment out of his voice as he stood up straight.

The thought that Natalie would bring someone with her was not right. No, it couldn't be right. She couldn't bring someone there.

"There isn't enough room at the table." Mary huffed, opening the oven to look at the turkey. "How could she bring another person."

"I'm sure we can make room. Roy, you and Chris need to make room for one more person." Jo Anne said, looking into the dining room.

Just then there was a knock at the door and Emily went to answer it.

"Ms. Natalie, who's this?" John heard as he headed for the door.

Natalie stood out there looking like a great looking woman. She even wore a dress that came down to the tops of her shins. It looked like something out of the forty era. It was black and white spotted and she had matching black shoes to go with it. But what really looked strange was the little girl standing next to her.

"This is Jessica Noble, she's my next door neighbor. I'll be watching her for a little while." She said, rubbing the girl's back. "Jessie, this is Emily DeSoto. She's one of my students."

"Hi, Emily. You have a pretty red dress on."

"Yours is the same, only it's green. I like it. Come on, I want you to meet my Daddy."

"I did meet him. He helped me when I fell down, along with Mr. Johnny." She lifted a part of her bangs to show off the discolored bruise, a bandaged bump that also hid the stitches and another bruise that was going down her cheek. "Ms. Natalie and I made a Corn, uh, this thing." She indicated to the woven basket horn thing in her arms.

"Cornucopia, it's the horn of plenty." Natalie said.

"Are you going to stand there with the door open all day?" Mary asked coming into the foyer of the house. "If you're coming in then you better get in here. You're late enough as it is."

John glanced over his shoulder at the woman that was standing in the foyer. "We're coming, Ma'am." Then he turned towards Natalie. "Why don't you two come in?"

"Two?" Mary asked.

The moment she saw Jessica well that cold woman became another grandma all over again.

"Oh, dear, what happened to you?" Mary asked when Jessica walked in. "Did your mommy do this to you?" Her cold eyes went towards Natalie.

"I'm her foster mother. That happened when her parents were home." Natalie said. "And it's customary to bring a tiding of goodwill and good fortune to the home of those that had invited someone for a feast dinner. So Jessica and I made a center piece for the table."  
"Can we put it on the table, Grandma?" Emily asked.

"Of course, sweetie." The woman smiled at her and then at Jessica. "Go right on in there."  
Natalie smiled as she watched her young charge go. Seeing that she and Emily were just about the same age it meant a lot to her that the girl had just one friend for this holiday.

"Well come on in." Grandma Mary said. "Dinner is almost set and there is plenty to go around."  
John closed the door behind Natalie. "You look nice today." He commented.

She smiled, that slight rose color sneaking up on her. Natalie looked him up and down, biting at the inside of her lower lip.

"I think you look dapper yourself." She ran her finger up his lapel of his plaid sport coat. "All the times I've seen you is in your uniform cloths."

The both of them came into the dining room where everyone was getting ready to sit down. Emily had helped Jessica put the Cornucopia down in the middle of the table and they were sitting together laughing and talking about something.

"I'm sorry for springing this on the both of you." Natalie said looking between Roy and his wife Jo Anne.

"Oh no, it's okay. Besides, Emily has a hard time finding friends." Jo Anne told her.

Everyone sat down around the table as Roy went to get the turkey out of the oven. Jo Anne and her son Chris sat on either side of where Roy was sitting and Grandma Mary was sitting next to Natalie while John took up the last spot at the table. Emily and Jessica kept giggling about something, whispering in each other's ears.

"What are you two giggling Gerties giggling about?" Natalie asked her student and foster daughter.

"You and Uncle Johnny look cute together." Emily said while Jessica pressed her hands over her mouth, looking between Natalie and John.

"Gross." Chris said, at which point Natalie managed to laugh.

"I'm getting used to the idea myself."

"What is that supposed to mean?" John looked at the woman.

"Adult topics are adult topics. There is no need to get children involved in with adult topics." Natalie responded.

Grandma Mary made a noise. "You have made a good choice in discussion. You said that you are a teacher?"

"Douglas MacArthur Elementary. I am a Fourth Grade teacher. Two years ago, I was Christopher's teacher, I replaced his other teacher."

"Wasn't it supposed to be temporary?" The boy asked.

"It was but they couldn't find another to take her place so I was given a full job there. I rather enjoy teaching."

After that they dug into the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and other goodies of that nature. For the first time since he had gotten there John didn't feel like the odd one out.

He couldn't help looking at Natalie too much, seeing that she was smiling and having a good time.

There was one thing he had not managed to do. He still needed to ask Natalie out, but now that she had a child in tow, that was going to be a difficult thing to do.

Maybe he would soon enough. Yeah, he decided, soon he would get his chance.

* * *

 **A/N: Honestly I am a little on the fence with this update. I guess because I have been so busy lately that I'm just now getting to updating. Anyway, I hope all you readers had a nice Thanksgiving. I'll be back for more updates soon**


	5. Chapter 5

After the meal had been eaten, and while waiting for space to clear up for everyone to have some pie, Natalie found herself outback in the DeSoto backyard. Everyone else was playing in the living room, Chris watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade rerun and Grandma Mary insisted on helping Jo Anne and Roy clear the plates.

"I stand by what I said." She barely glanced behind her when John came out. "You really do look nice."

"Thanks, John. And I meant by what I said. You look rather dapper." She glanced up at the tree that was starting to turn all sorts of colors. "Soon it will be winter."

"Huh?" He looked over at the tree. "Yeah, Christmas is coming up. You know I never did appreciate Thanksgiving."

"I don't care for the symbolism that they have me teach the kids. We all know that the Whites brought death wherever they went. But the only thing that I adhere to is the belief in thanking someone. Being thankful for what has been given and what has been done. I appreciate you and your Station helping me out of that tree."

"Yeah, how did you get up there anyway?"

"I climbed up and then I fell down."

"Are you a witch?" He asked.

"A witch?" She turned so suddenly to look at him. "What gives you that idea, John?"

"Well, I don't know." He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking away from her. "I just thought that, well I don't know, Natalie. It's just something that some of the guys were laughing at me for."

"Uh huh. I'm just me, John." She reached up and instead of touching his hair she flicked him in the ear.

"Hey, what you doin' that for?" He drawled out.

"Because, it's fun." She smiled at him.

"Well, don't do it again." He rubbed his ear. "It hurts."

"Why do you think I did it?" She nudged him and then turned back to the tree. "I like their tree. I wouldn't want to get stuck in it."

John laughed slightly and Natalie was relieved when he remained silent.

"Where do you stand with me?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"From what I hear you went through a lot just to get me here. Trading your shift with someone else, showing up at my classroom just to ask me here. Why did you decide to do it, John?"

"Because, I, I don't really know why. You seem so, perfect."

"I'm far from perfect."

"To me you're perfect." He came to stand in front of her. "You have a wonderful sense of right and wrong. You help people. Children adore you, I wish that was something I was good at."

"I'm sure you're good at it. You seem well versed with Chris and Emily."

"Maybe one day but not right now." He said.

Natalie didn't say anything, just looked up at him with a quirk of her lips. She waited for him to make the next move, hoping that it would be a conversation that was more pleasant than the one they were having.  
John sighed. "I would love to take you out to a nice dinner."

Natalie lightly grabbed at his jacket and smiled at him. "I don't like going out to dinner. I prefer to stay home and enjoy the sanctuary of my garden. But I would like to go to the beach and walk in the tide. I like collecting sea shells."

"Oh, uh, well, maybe we could do that some day. We will won't we?"

Natalie nodded. "If things keep up the way they are, I'm sure it will happen."

That was when Grandma Mary stuck her head out of the back door. "It's pie time, you two. Are you going to come on in?"

Natalie dropped her hands and turned to the older woman. "Yes, ma'am, we are."

"Where is your family, I would think you would be spending that time with them."

"Uh, well, it's kind of hard to explain." Natalie said as she and John followed her into the house.

The children were set up around the table with their pieces of pie while Jo Anne was serving up three more plates.

"Well, are you going to answer the simple question? Why aren't you with your family during Thanksgiving?" Grandma Mary asked bringing everyone's attention to Natalie.

"Because we don't celebrate it, not since I moved to LA County. Besides around this time of year they are getting the property ready for the coming snow that usually show up around the first of December. They just had a major storm up there."

"Still a shame your couldn't be with them."

"Not a shame, no. I got to spend time with a gentleman who rescued me, and his friend's. Plus I am helping a little girl that needs stability. You see, my father and mother were foster parents. They go out of their way to help people. They raised me right. Instead of thinking of myself I was taught to always help others."

It was as if the air was let right out of the house. All eyes were on Natalie as she stood in front of John who was also looking at the top of her head with astonishment. She smiled up at him but otherwise didn't instigate contact with him.

* * *

"John, you didn't have to follow us all the way here." Natalie said as she walked towards her front door.

It was edging on to night by the time that they had actually gotten back to her place. Jessica had a plate of cookies and was excited to go ahead and eat them when they got into the house.

John stood on the porch as Natalie turned on the porch light. "It's what a gentleman should do, right?" He asked, his hands in the pockets of his sport coat.

"I have to get inside and get Jessica ready to bed." She then glanced at the neighbor's house.

John had followed her gaze, seeing the living room light on and a figure standing at the window obviously watching Natalie. "Are you going to be okay with them as your neighbors?"

"They haven't tried anything, yet. They only have her on supervised visits over here. If they have fought today I'm not aware of it. Usually the Diego family can hear them fighting from up here."

There was a chilly air that brushed by her shoulders. It caused Natalie to shiver slightly and run her hand over her upper arms.

"Hey, I have been meaning to ask. Shouldn't you still be in the cast. You broke your arm in that fall."  
She looked down at her left arm. Natalie seemed to be thinking about the answer to his question, biting at the inside of her lip.

"I guess I heal faster than normal. It was my first major break in my life, no pun intended. Course up on the farm, I have dealt with horses, cattle and Reindeer…"

"Reindeer? You have Reindeer?" John could not believe what he was hearing. Reindeer, really?

Natalie laughed, the smile brightening her face. John couldn't help but smile down at her.

"My family is unique. I suppose that is what I'm saying. My father, mother and three older sisters live out on the family property since, oh I don't remember. They do a lot of community things. They live near a ski resort called Winter's Edge, they own the largest cabin up there. And Christmas and the holidays are always so magical during this time of year. They make feasts for families that wouldn't have a lot."

She smiled up at him again, those blue eyes really getting to him now. They were so blue that even in the little light that there was out on that porch he could see them almost clearly.

"I want us to go out." John finally spoke the words that had been playing around in his head.

She again smiled. "You know I have responsibilities now, with work and now a little girl under my roof. I can't go out on my own right now."

"The beach sound okay? Just a picnic? You did say you wanted to go there."

"Well, if you don't mind a six year old tag along, I don't have a problem with that. Give me your number and I'll call you."

He'd already planned on this, he had his number written up on a piece of paper in his pocket. John gave it over to her willingly.

"But can I have yours?"

"No."

John couldn't help but drop his mouth open. Natalie, though on the other hand helped him close his mouth with the simplest touch of her hand.

"But I promise I will call you." She said, her thumb caressing his cheek.

"How can I be sure that you're not pulling my leg?"

Natalie grasped the back of his head and pulled him down towards her. Then as suddenly as that action was, John was well aware that Natalie was kissing him, her smooth lips pressing up against his. Then the feeling of his fingers raking through his hair was enough just to have his legs buckle slightly at the knees.

The zing alone was something John would never forget.

"I promise I'll call you, John." She pulled back. "Goodnight, John. Drive safely." She said before turning back to the front door and letting herself in.

It took a lot of effort not to break down the door and go after her. The thumping in John's chest matched his steps as he headed back to his Bronco.

That Thanksgiving Kiss was going to be one he would hopefully never forget. o far it had been an almost pleasant day.

 **The End**

* * *

 **A/N: Well there's that story. I hope you guys liked it. One more story with Natalie and John to go for this thee part series.**


End file.
